ETS5 Features

ETS5 is the newest generation of ETS and thus the direct successor of ETS4. In comparison to ETS4 a lot of improvements are introduced in ETS5, here is a small subset of the new and improved ETS functions:

Repository no longer based on a database server

ETS4 installations were quite cumbersome because of:

• The actual Setup size: download time
• The OS prerequisites for server applications
• Conflicts with pre-installed 3 rd party server applications
  

Solution: ETS5 uses plain XML files instead of a dedicated database engine in order to store project and product data.

Advantages:

• Improved import, export and data access performance
• Simplified ETS Setup
• Simplified data backup and restore
  
• No conflicts with 3rd party software

Setup, operating systems & discontinued features

• ETS Setup supports the following operating systems: Microsoft Windows7 SP1 x32/x64, Microsoft Windows 8 x32/x64, Server 2008 R2 SP1 x64, Server 2012 x64
• The setup size has been reduced by ~ 50%
• The Falcon runtime setup is no longer separated from ETS
• ETS5 can be installed in parallel with ETS4 and/or ETS3
• ETS5 supports Proxy Authentication, this is important for online ETS updates
• RS232 support discontinued
  

x32/x64 Mode

• ETS5 is a native 64bit application
• ETS5 can however be installed (with the same setup) and used on 32bit system as well
• 64bit applications and thus ETS5 have the possibility to allocate more than 4GB of RAM if required
  
• Important: running 32bit ETS Apps and 32bit Plugins in ETS5, requires the ETS Compatibility Mode App to be activated; this App is automatically pre-installed and pre-licensed after installing ETS5.

With ETS5 the usability of the software has been improved again, in order to make its workflow even more efficient.

Style guide

Since ETS is a Windows-based application, its style guide is linked to Microsoft Windows 8. By applying the same ‘flat style’ for ETS, more workspace has been created and at the same time workspace views have been optimized.

Database Tab, Project Tab & Quick Actions

ETS5 no longer requires a ‘Database’ tab, ‘Project’ tab and a ‘Quick Actions’ section, resulting in again more space and hence a better structured main page!

Catalogs

All features of the ETS ‘Online Catalog’ App and the ETS ‘Product Finder’ have been integrated into the ETS ‘Catalog’. The ETS ‘Online Catalog’ App functionality and data portfolio has moreover been extended with direct product insertion into projects, with manuals, extra zip files, etc.

New Project & Project Wizard

ETS5 offers the possibility to reuse results of previous work. Project creation as well as the ‘project wizard’ has therefore been embedded in the ‘Projects’ area and the project details can be retrieved by zoom & pan in, like on a tablet!

Building Functions

Tired of having multiple windows open in order to link devices? With ETS5 this is finally a thing of the past! Group Addresses can now also be placed in the building view. Thanks to this, only one panel is required to make links, remarkably increasing user space. Consequently, linking Group Objects with Group Addresses via drag & drop can now be realized in the same panel, speeding up project design. On top of that, at any time ‘functions’ can be logically assigned to ‘devices’.

Various

• Embedded Diagnostics Wizard:
  -   tree & list view based on the topology view
        o   All diagnostic functions available via the tree view (left side)
        o   Results are put in the list view (right side)
  -   Integrated “BUS” tab
  -   Can also be used without project
• Embedded Reports panel
  
• Where feasible, modal dialogs have been removed

New ETS App SDK for DCA Apps

DCA: Device Configuration Apps. With this new concept, product plugins can be embedded (as extra product tab) and are then no longer floating in the ETS user interface.

The advantages are:

• Easy installation
• Easy update: the DCA update system is the same as for ETS (online)
  
• Uniformity: the DCA design style is the same as for ETS (W8)

New ETS App SDK for Monitor Apps

With the ETS Monitor Apps it is possible to decode telegrams according to your specific needs.

DPT Decoder

The ETS Group Monitor supports decoding of Datapoint Types; e.g. day of week - see screenshot - can be viewed (i.e. telegram received from the bus) or set (i.e. telegram to send on the bus) as readable text.

Falcon 3.0

• Completely redesigned based on the latest Microsoft .NET framewor SDK .
• Support for RS232 discontinued, alternative: KNX/USB interfaces
• Support for EibLib/IP discontinued, alternative: KNX/IP interfaces
  
• New: monitor interface (only available for KNX members!)

RF S‑Mode Support

ETS5 supports also RF devices, in addition to the already supported TP, PL and IP devices. I.e. it is possible to assign Group Addresses to Group Objects between RF devices, but also between e.g. TP and RF devices. For the latter obviously new Line Couplers types have been introduced: TP/RF and IP/RF in order to link RF devices with TP devices and IP devices respectively. Please note that a dedicated Domain Address must be used per RF line.

Long Frame Support

• Advantage: improved download performance
• ETS5 uses an algorithm to calculate the optimal frame length.
• The optimal frame length values are stored as part of the ETS project settings (per device and for each coupler).
  
• For legacy reasons, it is possible to switch off the frame length optimization.

Coupler Model 2.0

ETS5 supports the so called ‘Coupler Model 2.0’ model, the basis for the newly introduced TP/RF line coupler. This new coupler model will also constitute the basis for possible additional system extensions in the future.

• IP Routing Diagnostic Functions (e.g. KNXnet/IP device discovery)
• Online update concept for KNX interfaces
• Extra monitor columns: IA, Name, Description
• Indication of current consumption (mA) per TP line
• More keyboard short cuts
• Group Address export & import including ‘Descriptions’ 
• Import possible while the ‘database’ is still open
• DPT assignment per Group Address (no longer only per Group Object)
• Dynamic Folders: additional possibility to also filter according to Group Object properties (e.g. flags)
• Domain main lines (X.0) are no longer displayed à most users simply deleted them anyway
• ‘Rooms’ can now have ‘Cabinets’
• Search/Replace with ‘*’ and ‘?’   + replacement within a selection only
  
• Group Address linking: ETS5 only offers the ‘compatible’ Group Objects (no longer the entire list)